Honduras 0-1 Chile - Match report

Chile won their first World Cup match since 1962, ending a 13-match winless run, with a comfortable 1-0 victory over Group H rivals Honduras.

Honduras were flattered by the scoreline in a match that was badly one-sided, as Chile showed plenty that will worry the two European nations in their group, Spain and Switzerland.

It didn't take long to see just how attacking Chile are as the South Americans adopted a 3-4-3 formation from kick-off, a system which was never under threat of attack from a Honduras team that set up deep, pressing the opposition only when they got within 40 yards of goal.

The potential for a counter-attack, with Chile often reduced to two at the back, was there for all to see and Honduras showed that the opportunity was there 18 minutes in where they drove downfield after a Chilean corner, only for Carlos Pavon to scuff his shot wide from 20 yards.

After half an hour though it was becoming increasingly clear that Honduras didn't have the ability to break on regular occasions and neither did they put in enough effort to close down playmaker Matias Fernandez.

Unsurprisingly chances started to come thick and fast, with Arturo Vidal heading a good Fernandez corner over after 25 minutes.

When Chile finally broke through after 34 minutes it was no surprise that Fernandez was at the heart of the move, playing a brilliant pass behind the defence which found Mauricio Isla down the right who crossed into the six-yard box, where Jean Beausejour had made a run to the front post.

The Mexican-based forward missed the ball with his first attempt but a ricochet off defender Sergio Mendoza hit him and found the corner of the net.

Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez was involved in almost every Chile attack except that goal and almost doubled the lead a minute before the interval, when he cut in from the right flank and fired a shot which was well blocked by the heavily-tested Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa.

Honduras pushed higher up the pitch in the second half but couldn't stop Sanchez and Chile. Waldo Ponce missed the best chance of the period when Vidal headed a Fernandez free-kick back across for him – he was free at the far post but his diving header was brilliantly saved by Noel Valladares.

In reality though Chile didn't need any great urgency as Honduras looked impotent in attack and failed to test goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.